"DICE  &  HUTCHINS  take 
pleasure  in  presenting  to  you 
this  booklet  on  Boston,  which  it 
is  hoped  will  add  to  the  enjoyment 
of  your  visit  in  this  historic  old 
city.  Since  its  founding,  Boston 
has  stood  for  big  things,  not  only 
historically,  but  from  a  profes- 
sional and  industrial  point  of  view. 
This  Firm  is  now  entering  upon 
the  fifty-fourth  year  of  its  history 
— a  history  which  dates  back  to 
a  most  primitive  period  in  the  in- 
dustrial life  of  the  country. 


Lights 

°f 


Boston 


BLACKSTONE'S   HOUSE 

Near  Beacon  and  Walnut  Streets 
at  the  foot  of  Beacon  Hill 


HIGH  LIGHTS  OF  BOSTON 

Upon  certain  localities  and  numerous  events 
of  historic  Boston  is  focused  the  light  of  public 
interest,  giving  character  and  individuality  to  the 
city. 

Prominent  among  the  high  lights  of  Boston  is 
Beacon  Hill.  The  early  history  of  the  city  first 
centered  about  this  ancient  landmark,  and  beneath 
the  gilded  dome  of  its  State  House  is  history  still 
being  made.  On  its  southerly  slope  dwelt  Boston's 
first  settler,  the  Rev.  William  Blaxton  (Blackstone), 
frequently  referred  to  as  the  "  Hermit  of  Shawmut." 
It  is  believed  that  he  came  over  in  1623  with  Robert 
Gerges,  and  this  cultured,  eccentric  young  Cam- 
bridge graduate,  with  his  pale,  thoughtful  face, 
was  a  recluse  by  nature.  For  about  five  years  he 
lived  in  undistrubed  solitude  in  his  thatched- 
roofed  hut  near  the  foot  of  Beacon  Hill,  with  his 
rose  garden,  his  apple  orchard,  his  spring  of  spark- 
ling water,  and  his  brindled  bull,  on  which  he  used 
to  gallop  long  the  crooked  paths  which  later  became 
the  streets  of  Boston. 

Seven 


In  1630,  Blackstone,  out  of  sympathy  for  Gover- 
nor Winthrop's  struggling  little  colony  which 
was  suffering  from  disease,  scanty  provisions,  and 
inadequate  water  supply  at  Charlestown,  told  the 
Governor  of  the  excellent  spring  on  Shawmut 
Peninsula,  and  invited  the  colonists  to  move  to  its 
vicinity. 

To  Shawmut,  the  Indian  name  for  "glistening 
fountain,"  these  new  settlers  gave  the  name  of 
'Trimountaine,"  on  account  of  the  three-peaked 
eminence  which  later  became  known  as  Beacon  Hill. 
A  few  years  afterward  they  changed  the  name  to 
Boston,  in  honor  of  that  ancient  Lincolnshire  town 
in  old  England  from  which  many  of  the  prominent 
settlers  had  come. 

For  a  while  Blackstone  dwelt  side  by  side  with 
his  new  neighbors.  In  1634  he  sold  forty-four  of 
his  fifty  acres  to  Governor  Winthrop  for  $150,  re- 
taining the  remaining  six  acres  for  his  own  estate, 
which  many  years  later  came  into  the  possession 
of  the  famous  portrait  painter,  Copley.  The  follow- 
ing year  he  packed  up  his  library  and  departed  to 
Rehoboth,  in  Rhode  Island,  for  Boston  had  become 
much  too  crowrded  for  his  comfort. 

From  the  beacon  which  was  placed  on  "Trea- 
mount"  in  1635,  by  order  of  the  General  Court,  this 
elevation  received  the  name  of  Beacon  Hill.  In  an 
iron  pot,  supported  by  a  crane  at  the  top  of  a  tall 
pole,  was  placed  the  tar  which  was  fired,  whenever 
occasion  arose,  to  give  warning  of  any  attack  by 
land  or  sea.  Though  about  sixty  feet  lower  than 
when  the  beacon  was  erected  upon  it,  Beacon  Hill 
still  looms  up  prominently  in  the  heart  of  Boston. 
In  place  of  the  flaming  signal  light,  there  now  gleams 

Eight 


Beacon  Hill 

From  Mt.  Vernon  Street,  near  the  head  of  Hancock  Street 
1811-1812 


on  its  summit  the  gilded  dome  of  the  Boston  State 
House.  This  splendid  old  building  with  its  double 
colonnade,  surmounted  by  a  temple-like  pediment, 
above  which  rises  the  great  dome,  was  designed 
by  the  American  architect,  Bulfinch,  and  occupies 
the  site  of  the  old  cow  pasture  of  the  Hancock  es- 
tate. The  corner-stone  was  laid  on  the  fourth  of 
July,  1795,  by  Governor  Samuel  Adams,  assisted, 
among  others,  by  "The  Most  Worshipful  Paul 
Revere,  Grand  Master."  It  was  Paul  Revere,  also, 
who  made  the  copper  plates  which  first  covered 
the  great  dome. 

Beneath  the  gallery  in  the  Hall  of  Representatives 
is  suspended  the  "sacred  codfish,"  as  a  "memorial 
of  the  importance  of  the  Cod  Fishery  to  the  welfare 


Nine 


The  Return  of  the  Battle  Flags 

From  a  painting  by  Edward  Simmons,  made  from  a  Copley  Print.  It  is 
on  the  north  side  of  the  Hall  of  Flags  in  the  State  House.  Copyright 
by  Edward  Simmons  from  a  Copley  Print,  copyright  by  Curtis  & 
Cameron,  Publishers,  Boston,  and  printed  by  their  kind  permission. 

of  the  Commonwealth."  This  is  believed  to  be  the 
identical  codfish  which  hung  in  the  old  State 
House,  and  was  moved  to  the  new  building  when 
it  was  completed.  When  the  present  State  House 
was  enlarged,  this  wooden  image  was  wrapped  in  an 
American  flag  and  carried  by  a  committee  of 


Ten 


fifteen  from  the  old  Hall  of  Representatives  to  the 
one  which  it  now  occupies. 

Among  the  many  impressive  events  which  have 
taken  place  at  the  State  House  was  the  return  of 
our  battle  flags  to  this  building  on  December  22, 
1865.  As  the  regiments  marched  past  the  State 
House,  the  color  bearers  withdrew  from  the  ranks 
mounted  the  steps,  and  gathered  in  a  group 
around  Governor  Andrew,  who,  after  a  prayer 
had  been  offered  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  K.  Lathrop, 
received  the  colors,  which  now  occupy  a  place  of 
honor  in  Memorial  Hall. 

In  front  of  the  State  House,  extending  down  the 
slope  of  Beacon  Hill  and  spreading  over  several 
acres  about  its  base,  lies  Boston  Common.  It  was 
this  tract  of  land  which  Governor  Winthrop  pur- 
chased of  the  Rev.  William  Blackstone  for  $150, 
the  sum  having  been  raised  by  a  tax  levied  on  the 
colonists.  Though  originally  laid  out  for  a  training 
field,  Boston  Common  has  been  used  for  many  and 
varied  purposes  during  the  two  hundred  and  eighty- 
five  years  since  its  purchase.  It  has  been  the 
scene  of  many  a  characteristic  drama  of  Boston 
life,  from  the  early  days  of  Puritanism  when  a 
person  who  ventured  to  stroll  across  it  on  Sunday 
was  promptly  arrested,  down  to  recent  times  when 
portions  of  it  have  been  given  over  to  war  gardens 
and  recruiting  offices. 

Cows  were  pastured  on  the  Common  until  about 
1830,  and  it  was  rumored  in  Boston  society  circles, 
some  hundred  and  fifty  years  ago,  that  there  was 
promiscuous  milking  of  these  animals  when  Mad- 
ame Hancock  happened  to  need  an  extra  large 
supply  of  milk  for  the  entertainment  of  prominent 
guests,  arriving  unexpectedly  on  the  French  fleet. 


Eleven 


"3       M 

5  3- 


Twelve 


In  1720  the  "spinning  craze"  hit  Boston.  Spin- 
ning-wheels were  imported  from  Europe,  and 
schools  were  established  here  for  the  purpose  of 
teaching  the  industry.  Contests  were  held  on  the 
Common,  and  hundreds  of  the  young  women  of 
Boston,  both  rich  and  poor,  set  up  their  spinning- 
wheels  on  the  green  and  performed  before  an  en- 
thusiastic crowd  of  spectators. 

Not  all  the  purposes  for  which  the  Common  was 
used  during  those  early  years  were  peaceful  ones. 
There  is  still  growing  near  the  Frog  Pond  a  graft 
from  the  "Old  Elm"  which  was  used  as  a  gallows- 
tree  until  1812,  when  executions  on  the  Common 
were  abolished.  From  its  branches  were  hung 
scores  of  unfortunate  victims  accused  of  witch- 
craft, Quakerism,  murder,  and  theft.  Among  them 
were  several  women,  including  Mary  Parsons, 
Mrs.  Ann  Hibbins,  and  Margaret  Jones,  who  was 
accused  of  possessing  imps. 

The  hill  where  the  Soldiers'  Monument  now 
stands  was  the  scene  of  a  most  unfortunate  duel  in 
1728,  when  Benjamin  Woodbridge  and  Henry 
Phillips,  two  young  men  of  excellent  standing  in  the 
community,  undertook  to  settle  with  swords  a 
quarrel  which  had  arisen,  it  is  believed,  over  cards. 
Woodbridge  was  mortally  wrounded  by  Phillips, 
who  left  him  to  die  on  the  Common. 

The  Boston  Common  was  the  place  of  encamp- 
ment for  the  Royal  troops  from  1768  to  the  evacua- 
tion of  Boston.  Holmes,  in  describing  the  Common 
at  this  time  says, 

"And  over  all  the  open  Green, 

\Yhere  grazed  of  late  the  harmless  kine, 
The  cannon's  deepening  ruts  are  seen, 

The  war-horse  stamps,   the  bayonets  shine." 


Thirteen 


Many  are  the  events  of  national  importance 
which  have  been  celebrated  on  the  old  Common, 
from  the  "Repeal  of  the  Stamp  Act,"  which  was 
greeted  by  a  roaring  salute  from  Captain  Paddock's 
Artillery,  and  the  huge  bonfire  which  celebrated 
Cornwallis's  surrender,  to  the  recent  celebration  of 
the  signing  of  the  Armistice. 

And  so,  down  through  the  years,  has  the  life 
of  the  city  been  reflected  in  the  history  of  Boston 
Common,  and  "Boston  Preferred,"  as  Robert 
Shackleton  has  aptly  termed  Beacon  Hill,  which 
stands,  as  he  says,  "for  the  exclusiveness,  the 
permanence,  the  fixity  of  Boston  society.' 

Rivaling  the  Common  and  Beacon  Hill  as  a 
place  of  interest  and  importace,  is  State  Street. 
As  the  center  of  the  early  life  of  the  town,  it  oc- 
cupies a  prominent  position  in  the  history  of  the 
city,  and  as  the  "Wall  Street  of  Boston"  it  has 
become  an  important  factor  in  the  financial  life 
of  the  State  and  the  nation. 

On  the  site  of  the  Old  State  House,  at  the  head 
of  the  street,  there  stood  in  the  early  days  of  the 
town  the  first  market-place,  from  which  this 
thoroughfare  originally  received  the  name  of  Mar- 
ket Street.  In  1658  the  first  Town  House  was 
erected  on  this  spot.  This  building  was  practically 
a  gift  of  Captain  Robert  Keayne,  a  prominent  mer- 
chant of  the  town,  who,  at  his  death,  in  1656,  left 
three  hundred  pounds  to  Boston,  for  the  erection  of 
a  Town  House.  The  building,  when  completed,  cost 
six  hundred  and  eighty  pounds — the  balance,  above 
the  three  hundred  pounds  left  by  Captain  Keayne, 
being  contributed  by  one  hundred  and  four  of  the 
citizens  of  Boston. 


Fourteen 


State  Street  and  Old  State  House 

1801 
From  a  Painting  at  Massachusetts  Historical  Society 


Upon  an  ancient  house  in  the  English  town  of 
Windsor  is  a  tablet  marking  it  as  the  home  of  this 
man  who  took  such  a  prominent  part  in  the  life 
of  Boston.  In  addition  to  his  generous  gift  toward 
the  erection  of  the  Town  House,  Captain  Keayne 
founded  here,  in  1637,  the  Ancient  and  Honorable 
Artillery  Company,  which  is  the  oldest  military 
organization  in  America. 

In  the  great  fire  of  1711,  the  Town  House  was 
completely  destroyed,  but  a  new  one  was  immedi- 
ately erected  on  the  same  site.  This  second  build- 
ing was  considerably  damagd  by  fire  in  1747,  but 
the  present  structure,  Boston's  famous  Old  State 
House,  has  practically  the  same  exterior,  although 
many  changes  have  been  made  on  the  inside. 

Fifteen 


When  Faneuil  Hall  was  erected  in  1742,  to 
he  used  as  a  Town  Hall  and  market-place,  the  old 
Town  House  became  the  State  House,  where  the 
Legislature  and  the  Courts  assembled.  As  a  "Cra- 
dle of  Liberty"  it  may  be  said  to  rival  Faneuil  Hall. 
It  was  John  Adams  who  said  that  "In  it  Indepen- 
dence was  born."  From  its  second-story  balcony 
has  many  a  royal  proclamation  been  read  to  the 
assembled  throng  beneath.  From  this  balcony  was 
announced  the  repeal  of  the  detested  Stamp  Act. 
There  stood  Colonel  Crafts  on  July  18,  1776,  when 
he  read  to  the  excited  citizens  of  Boston  the  text  of 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  which  had  been 
relayed  to  Boston  by  swiftly  galloping  messengers. 
\Yithin  the  walls  of  this  historic  old  building  was 
planned  the  Constitution  of  the  State.  There,  too, 
assembled  the  Convention  previous  to  the  departing 
of  the  delegates  to  Federal  Street  Church,  where 
was  adopted  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 
In  the  old  Council  Room,  with  its  atmosphere  of 
ancient  dignity,  John  Hancock  was  inaugurated 
first  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth. 

In  1708  the  name  of  Market  Street  was  changed 
by  an  order  of  the  selectmen,  which  read  that 
"the  street  leading  from  Cornhill,  includeing 
the  wayes  on  each  side  of  the  Town  house  extending 
esterly  to  the  sea,"  should  be  called  "King  Street." 
It  was  not  until  1784  that  this  prominent  Boston 
thoroughfare  received  its  present  name  of  State 
Street. 

Many  are  the  dramas  of  comedy  and  tragedy 
which  have  been  enacted  on  this  old  street.  Across 
from  the  market-place  was  erected  the  first  meeting- 
house, a  rude  structure  with  mud  walls  and  thatched 


Sixteen 


Old  State  House 
1858 

roof.  In  the  open  square  between  these  two 
buildings  stood  the  whipping  post,  the  stocks,  and 
the  cage  in  which  were  exhibited  all  persons  who 
ventured  to  violate  the  Sabbath.  The  first  prisoner 
to  be  placed  in  the  stocks  was  Edward  Palmer, 
the  carpenter  who  built  them.  The  authorities 

Seventeen 


Boston  Massacre 
1770 


took  this  method  of  punishing  him  for  what  they 
considered  an  exorbitant  sum  which  he  had  asked 
for  their  construction. 

Most  of  Boston's  "four  hundred"  made  their 
homes  on  State  Street  in  the  early  days. 

At  one  time  all  of  the  banks  and  brokers'  offices 
in  Boston  were  located  on  State  Street,  and  at  the 
present  time  there  are  more  of  them  here  than  upon 
any  other  single  street  in  the  city. 

In  1770  occurred  the  Boston  Massacre — an 
event  which  gives  to  State  Street  its  chief  historic 
interest,  for  upon  its  pavement  was  shed  the  first 
blood  of  the  Revolution.  Those  killed  in  the 
Massacre  were  Samuel  Gray,  Samuel  Maverick, 
James  Caldwell,  Crispus  Attucks,  and  Patrick  Carr. 

Eighteen 


In  the  old  Granary  Burying  Ground  lie  the 
remains  of  the  victims  of  the  Boston  Massacre, 
and  on  State  Street,  marking  the  place  where  they 
fell,  about  twelve  feet  south  of  the  southeast  corner 
of  State  and  Exchange  Streets,  is  a  stone  block  with 
paving  stones  radiating  from  it. 

The  Old  South  Church,  where  a  Town  meeting 
was  held  the  day  after  the  Boston  Massacre,  stands 
on  the  corner  of  Milk  and  Washington  Streets. 
Though  located  on  a  busy  corner  in  the  heart  of  the 
city,  this  old  "Sanctuary  of  Freedom"  seems  not 
to  be  a  part  of  the  life  which  surges  about  its 
ancient  walls,  but  appears  wrapped  in  an  atmos- 
phere of  the  past — the  days  when  it  was  the  scene 
of  those  momentous,  tumultuous  Town  meetings 
which  "kindled  the  flame  that  fired  the  Revolution." 
In  imagination  we  see  the  vast  crowd  assemble  here 
on  March  5,  1775,  to  commemorate  the  anniversary 
of  the  Boston  Massacre.  Although  warned  by  the 
British  authorities  "that  any  making  an  ovation 
at  that  time,  and  especially  any  one  making  any 
reflection  upon  the  royal  family,  was  liable  to  arrest 
and  capital  punishment,"  the  people  continued 
with  their  plans  for  the  celebration.  They  selected 
as  orator  of  the  occasion,  Dr.  Joseph  Warren,  who 
was  killed  a  few  weeks  later  at  the  Battle  of 
Bunker  Hill. 

Within  this  old  building  was  staged  the  first  act 
of  that  thrilling  drama  entitled,  "The  Boston  Tea 
Party,"  which  ended  in  a  band  of  men,  disguised 
as  Indians,  going  to  Griffin's  Wharf,  followed  by 
a  large  number  of  the  audience.  They  boarded 
the  three  vessels  which"  contained  the  cargoes  of 

Nineteen 


Old  South  Church 
Corner  Washington  and  Milk  Streets 


Twenty 


Boston  Tea  Party 


tea,  hoisted  out  the  chests,  smashed  them  open  with 
their  hatches ts,  and  threw  them  overboard,  and— 

"The  waters  in  the  rebel  bay, 

Have  kept  the  tea  leaf  savor, 
Our  old  North  Enders  in  their  spray, 

Still  taste  a  Hyson  flavor." 

OLIVER  WENDELL  HOLMES. 

Griffin's  Wharf  has  long  since  disappeared,  and 
the  place  is  now  solid  ground,  along  which  extends 
a  busy  street,  and  above  which  thunders  the  Boston 
Elevated  trains.  But  the  historic  spot  is  appro- 
priately marked  by  a  tablet  on  the  north  corner  of 
Pearl  Street  and  Atlantic  Avenue. 

T  w  e  n  t  y  -  o  n  e 


Faneuil  Hall 


The  present  structure  of  the  Old  South  Church 
was  erected  in  1729.  On  this  same  site,  which  marks 
the  location  of  Governor  Winthrop's  last  dwelling 
place,  there  was  built  in  1670  the  first  Meeting- 
House  of  the  Old  South  Church.  It  was  in  this 
original  building  that  the  little  Benjamin  Franklin 
was  baptized  on  January  17,  1706. 

Not  far  from  the  Old  South  Church  is  that 
building  of  historic  associations,  known  as  Faneuil 
Hall — Boston's  famous  old  "Cradle  of  Liberty." 

Twenty-two 


This  hall  was  given  to  the  city  in  1742,  by  a  public- 
spirited  citizen  named  Peter  Faneuil. 

The  original  building  was  forty  feet  in  width  and 
a  hundred  in  length.  Beneath  was  a  market-place 
with  open  arches,  and  above  was  the  auditorium 
where  the  patriots  of  Boston  held  their  meeting 
during  that  stormy  period  of  the  Revolution. 

The  building  was  burned  in  1762,  and  was  re- 
built along  the  lines  of  the  original,  the  following 
year.  The  expense  of  rebuilding  was  borne  by  the 
town,  aided  by  a  lottery  which  was  authorized  by 
the  Province.  It  is  with  difficulty  that  we  can 
conceive  of  Puritanical  Boston  countenancing  such 
a  scheme,  but  it  wras  apparently  a  common  method 
of  raising  money  in  those  days.  It  was  not  until 
1833  that  the  sale  of  lottery  tickets  in  this  State 
was  forbidden  by  la\v. 


;  £OS  TO  N,  ^pnL   1767.          £3 

Fancui.'-HaU  LOTTERY,  Number  EIGHT.  ?' 
^//   Ticket     No.Ar^cP      entitles  5 


'*tf  $P  the  Pofftfror  to  any  Prize  drawn  againft  faid  Number,  |^ 

-jififvij}  in  a  LOTTERY  granted  by  an  Aft  of  the  General  ^ 

^jS**i|  Court  of  tlieProvincc  of  the  Mnjfachiifetts-  Bay,  forRe-  #•' 

6i-4S-b«iWJng^^A^07i-Hall;  fubjcd  to  no  D.duaion: 

;*r^Gb  L- 


The  corner-stone  of  the  new  building  was  dedi- 
cated by  James  Otis,  "to  the  cause  of  liberty," 
from  which  Faneuil  Hall  derived  its  title  of  the 
"Cradle  of  Liberty."  The  original  building  was 


Twenty-three 


similarly  dedicated  to  the  same  cause,  but  with  a 
reservation  stating  "with  loyalty  to  a  king  under 
whom  we  enjoy  that  liberty." 

Xumerous  additions  and  alterations  have  been 
made  from  time  to  time,  and  little  remains  of  the 
original  gift  of  Peter  Faneuil,  except  the  gilded 
grasshopper  on  the  weather  vane,  which  was  made 
and  put  in  its  place  on  November  1,  1742,  by 
Shem  Brown,  a  prominent  brass  worker  of  those 
days.  This  ancient  insect  has  survived  earthquake 
and  fire,  and  is  still  perched  on  the  cupola. 

In  the  auditorium,  which  is  still  used  as  a  forum, 
is  a  clock  which  has  marked  the  minutes  of  many 
famous  speeches  by  noted  orators. 

When  Lafayette  visited  Boston  in  1825,  he 
expressed  the  following  tribute  to  the  old  building: 

"To  the  City  of  Boston,  the  Cradle  of  Liberty: 
may  Faneuil  Hall  ever  stand  a  monument  to  teach 
the  world  that  resistance  to  oppression  is  a  duty, 
and  will,  under  true  republican  institutions,  be- 
come a  blessing." 

The  laying  of  the  corner-stone  of  Bunker  Hill 
Monument  was  the  event  which  brought  Lafayette 
to  these  shores  in  1825.  He  had  traveled  nearly 
five  thousand  miles  through  sixteen  republics  in 
order  to  take  part  in  this  celebration,  and  Boston 
went  wild  over  his  arrival,  for  few  had  believed 
that  he  would  really  come. 

Over  Washington  Street  was  placed  an  arch, 
bearing  an  inscription  which  expressed  the  love 
and  admiration  wrhich  the  Americans  felt  for  this 
noble  Frenchman,  the  last  two  lines  of  which  were: 
"We  bow  not  the  neck,  and  we  bend  not  the  knee 
But  our  hearts,  Lafayette,  we  surrender  to  thee." 

Twenty-four 


Bunker  Hill  Monument 
Corner-stone  laid  June  17,  1825 


Twenty-five 


Old  North  Church 
Corner-stone  laid  in  1723 


T  we  n  t  y-six 


The  corner-stone  of  Bunker  Hill  Monument 
was  laid,  June  17,  1825,  on  the  fiftieth  anniversary 
of  that  famous  battle  which  it  commemorates. 
There  were  present  at  the  ceremony,  besides  Gen- 
eral Lafayette,  Daniel  Webster,  who  gave  at  this 
time  his  celebrated  Bunker  Hill  oration,  and  also 
two  hundred  officers  and  soldiers  of  the  Revolution, 
and  forty  of  the  men  who  had  taken  part  in  the 
Battle  of  Bunker  Hill. 

On  the  slope  of  Copp's  Hill,  in  the  north  end  of 
Boston,  is  Christ  Church,  the  oldest  church  edifice 
in  the  city.  The  corner-stone  of  the  building  was 
laid  in  1723,  by  Rev.  Samuel  Myles,  who  uttered 
the  following  words:  "May  the  gates  of  Hell  never 
prevail  against  it." 

It  is  this  church,  often  referred  to  as  the  "Old 
North,"  which  will  always  be  associated  with  the 
famous  ride  of  Paul  Revere.  From  its  belfry  one 
still  sees  in  imagination,  on  the  eve  of  each  Pa- 
triot's Day,  "a  glimmer  and  then  a  gleam  of  light"; 
flashing  its  message  to  the  midnight  rider  on  the 
Charlestown  shore:  and  again  one  hears — 

"A  voice  in  the  darkness,  a  knock  at  the  door, 
And  a  word  that  shall  echo  forevermore ! 
For,  borne  on  the  night-wind  of  the  Past, 
Through  all  our  history,  to  the  last, 
In  the  hour  of  darkness  and  peril  and  need, 
The  people  will  waken  and  listen  to  hear 
The  hurrying  hoof-beats  of  that  steed, 
And  the  midnight  message  of  Paul  Revere." 

In  front  of  this  building  which  is  so  distinctly 
American  in  its  associations,  is  now  the  name, 
"  Chiesa  del  Cristo,"  with  the  cordial  announcement 

Twenty-seven 


The  Liberty  Tree,  1774 
Corner  of  Essex  and  Orange  Streets 


that  "Tutti  sono  invitata."  This  neighborhood 
is  now  occupied  almost  entirely  by  Italians,  those 
people  from  the  picturesque  land  of  Dante  and 
Michael  Angelo,  who  with  their  love  of  music 
and  the  finer  things  of  life  are  contributing  to 
our  American  civilization  that  leaven  of  idealism 
which  is  greatly  needed  in  this  age  of  materialistic 
tendencies. 

Within  the  church  one  sees  the  ancient  square 
box  pews,  and  the  high  pulpit  which  is  reached  by 
a  winding  stair.  The  old  clock  in  front  of  the  organ 
has  ticked  there  for  nearly  a  century  and  a  half. 
The  sweet-toned  chimes  in  the  steeple  were  placed 
there  in  1744.  On  one  of  the  eight  bells  there  is  an 
inscription  reading,  "We  are  the  first  ring  of  bells 
cast  for  the  British  Empire  in  North  America." 

T  \v  e  n  t  y  -  e  i  g  h  t 


Numerous  historic  sites  throughout  the  city 
have  been  marked  with  appropriately  inscribed 
tablets.  Among  these  is  the  spot  where  stood  the 
famous  old  Liberty  Tree,  near  the  corner  of  Wash- 
ington and  Essex  Streets.  From  the  branches  of  this 
old  elm  were  hung  the  effigies  of  those  who  favored 
the  detested  Stamp  Act  and  similar  English  regula- 
tions. Beneath  its  branches  were  held  the  Stamp 
Act  meetings  by  Paul  Revere,  Hancock,  Adams, 
Otis,  and  others.  In  August,  1775,  the  Tree  was 
cut  down  by  the  British,  who  had  learned  to  hate 
it.  It  was  Lafayette  who  said  of  it,  "The  world 
should  never  forget  where  once  stood  the  Liberty 
Tree,  so  famous  in  your  annals." 

At  the  corner  of  Tremont  and  Boylston  Streets, 
on  the  site  now  occupied  by  the  Hotel  Touraine, 
there  formerly  stood  the  residence  of  John  Quincy 
Adams,  sixth  President  of  the  LInited  States. 

The  place  once  occupied  by  the  house  where 
Benjamin  Franklin  was  born  has  been  marked  at 
number  17  Milk  Street,  by  an  inscription  and  bust 
of  this  distinguished  American.  On  Court  Street, 
at  the  east  corner  of  Franklin  Avenue,  stood  the 
Franklin  printing  office,  where  Benjamin  and  his 
brother,  James,  published  the  "  New  England 
Courant." 

Across  the  street  is  the  City  Hall  Annex,  erected 
on  the  site  of  the  Old  Court  House,  where  once 
stood  the  ancient  prison  in  which  the  notorious 
pirate,  Captain  Kidd,  was  imprisoned,  after  being 
examined  in  the  Old  State  House.  Nearly  two 
hundred  and  twenty  years  have  passed  since 
Captain  Kidd's  execution  in  England,  but  people 
are  still  searching  for  that  mythical  treasure  which 

T  w  e  n  t  y  -  n  i  n  e 


Corner  of  Tremont  and  Boylston  Streets 
Showing  on  the  left  the  corner  of  John  Quincy  Adams's  House 


Thirty 


The  house  in  which  Benjamin  Franklin  was  born  on  Milk  Street 


is  supposed  to  be  buried  somewhere  along  these 
shores. 

At  number  173  Washington  Street  is  a  tablet 
marking  the  site  of  Paul  Revere's  shop,  where  he 
worked  as  a  goldsmith.  The  house  where  he  was 
born,  in  North  Square,  has  been  marked  by  a  tablet 
also. 

The  first  store  in  Boston  stood  on  State  Street, 
and  was  kept  by  John  Coggan,  who,  like  all  of 
the  merchants  of  those  days,  lived  above  the  store. 

The  subway  entrance  at  Scollay  Square  is  loca- 
ted on  the  site  of  the  first  district  writing  school, 
erected  in  Boston  in  1684.  On  School  Street,  where 
the  City  Hall  now  stands,  was  erected  the  first 
house  for  the  use  of  the  Boston  Public  Latin  School. 

At  number  28  State  Street  stood,  in  Provincial 
days,  the  Royal  Exchange  Tavern.  From  this 

Thirty -one 


spot  Nicholas  Brown  started  on  September  7, 
1772,  the  first  stage  coach  from  Boston  to  New 
York,  "to  go  once  every  fourteen  days." 

The  first  United  States  bank  in  Boston  was 
opened  in  1792,  and  stood  on  the  present  site 
of  the  Brazer  Building  on  State  Street.  This  was 
one  of  the  three  branches  established  at  Boston, 
Baltimore,  and  New  York,  the  head  office  being  in 
Philadelphia.  The  Boston  branch  was  the  third 
in  size,  starting  with  a  capital  of  $700,000. 

The  first  newspaper  in  America  was  printed 
in  Boston  in  1690.  It  was  called  "Public  Oc- 
currences, Both  Forreign  and  Domestick,"  and 
consisted  of  four  pages,  seven  inches  by  eleven 
with  two  columns  on  a  page.  It  was  printed  "By 
R.  Pierce  for  Benjamin  Harris,  at  the  London 
Coffee  House,  1690."  It  was  published,  so  the 
editor  announced,  in  order  "that  the  people  may 
better  understand  public  affairs,  that  important 
occurrences  shall  not  be  forgotten."  Apparently 
so  much  knowledge  of  "public  affairs"  was  con- 
sidered dangerous  in  those  days,  for  the  authorities 
ordered  it  to  be  discontinued,  and  only  one  issue 
ever  appeared. 

The  first  regular  newspaper,  "The  Boston  Newrs 
Letter,"  was  started  in  1704,  and  the  history  of  the 
town  for  the  next  seventy  years  was  recorded  in  its 
pages.  It  was  edited  by  John  Campbell,  who  was 
postmaster  of  Boston,  and  was  printed  by  Bar- 
tholomew Green. 

Boston  has  blazed  the  trail  along  numerous  lines 
of  progress. 

The  first  railroad  built  in  America  ran  from  the 
granite  quarries  of  Quincy  through  East  Milton 

Thirty -two 


Train  of  cars  on  the  Granite  Railway,  and  the  Railway  Hotel.     From 
original  print  in  Quincy  Historical  Society. 


to  a  wharf  on  the  Xeponset  River,  not  far  from  the 
Granite  Bridge,  and  was  known  as  "The  Granite 
Railway."  The  first  train  of  cars,  drawn  by  horses, 
passed  over  this  road  on  October  7,  1826. 

The  project  was  the  outcome  of  the  need  of 
transporting  the  granite  from  the  Quincy  quarries 
to  Charlestown,  for  use.  in  the  construction  of  the 
Bunker  Hill  Monument. 

The  road  was  made  of  wooden  rails,  placed  five 
feet  apart,  on  stone  sleepers.  Fastened  to  these 
rails  were  iron  plates  three  inches  wide  and  one- 
fourth  of  an  inch  thick.  Stone  rails  were  used 
at  all  public  crossings,  and  later,  when  the  wooden 
rails  began  to  decay,  they  were  all  replaced  by  stone 
ones.  Portions  of  this  old  road  are  still  in  existence, 
and  one  of  the  old  railroad  frogs  and  an  old  stone 
rail  were  exhibited  at  the  World's  Fair  at  Chicago. 

Thirty-three 


Wm.  T.  G.  Morton,  M.  D.,  making  the  first  public  demonstration  of 
etherization  at  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital,  surrounded  by  the 
medical  staff  of  that  institution,  i.  Dr.  Henry  J.  Bigelow.  2.  Dr. 
Augustus  A.  Gould.  3.  Dr.  J.  Mason  Warren.  4.  Dr.  John  C.  Warren. 
5.  Dr.  William  T.  G.  Morton.  6.  Dr.  Samuel  Parkman.  7.  Dr.  George 
Hayward.  8.  Dr.  T.  D.  Townsend. 

On  October  16,  1846,  there  took  place  at  the 
Massachusetts  General  Hospital  an  operation  which 
was  an  epoch-making  event  in  the  history  of 
science  and  surgery.  It  was  upon  this  occasion 
that  Dr.  W.  T.  G.  Morton,  of  Boston,  successfully 
etherized  a  patient  of  Dr.  John  C.  Warren.  The 
operation  was  performed  upon  a  man  by  the  name 
of  Gilbert  Abbott,  who  was  suffering  from  tumor 
of  the  jaw,  and  was  entirely  successful.  This  was 
the  first  public  operation  which  was  ever  performed 
with  the  aid  of  ether.  In  referring  to  this  miracu- 
lous "  Death  of  Pain,"  Oliver  Wendell  Holmes  said, 
"The  fierce  extremity  of  suffering  has  been  steeped 
in  the  waters  of  forgetfulness,  and  the  deepest 
furrow  in  the  knotted  brow  of  agony  has  been 
smoothed  forever." 

Thirty -four 


In  the  Boston  Public  Gardens,  near  the  head  of 
Marlboro  Street,  is  a  monument  which  was  erected 
to  the  discoverer  of  ether,  and  bears  the  following 
inscription : 

To  Commemorate  the  Discovery 

That  the  Inhaling  of  Ether 

Causes  Insensibility  to  Pain. 

At  the  Massachusetts  General  Hospital 

October  16,  1846 

An  invention  which  has  revolutionized  life  was 
made  in  Boston  in  1875,  by  Professor  Alexander 
Graham  Bell,  who  gave  to  the  world  the  telephone. 
He  was  assisted  in  his  work  by  Thomas  A.  Watson, 
an  electrician  in  Charles  Williams's  workshop  at 
109  Court  Street;  and  it  was  in  this  office  building, 
which  is  still  standing,  that  the  first  telephone 
message  was  heard.  A  wire  had  been  put  up  be- 
tween two  of  the  rooms  on  the  upper  floor  of  the 
building.  On  June  2,  1875,  while  experimenting 
with  it,  Bell,  who  was  at  one  end  of  the  wire,  heard 
a  faint  sound  come  over  it. 

On  March  10  of  the  following  year,  the  first 
sentence  ever  sent  over  a  telephone  was  spoken  by 
Professor  Bell  to  Mr.  Watson  at  number  5  Exeter 
Place.  The  words  which  he  spoke  were,  "  Mr.  Wat- 
son, please  come  here,  I  want  you." 

The  first  permanent  telephone  line  ran  between 
Mr.  Williams's  Office  on  Court  Street  and  his  home 
in  Somerville. 

So  down  through  the  centuries  has  Boston 
been  identified  with  the  largest  interests  of  the 
nation.  She  has  fearlessly  taken  a  firm  and  heroic 
stand  in  every  crisis. 

Thirty -five 


NEW  PAIACE  THEATRE 

CHARUS  CHAPUN  CMKDff  S 
MtSIIR  KEY 
ITALIAN  ARTISTS 


The  first  telephone  message  was  heard  in  this  building  at  109  Court 
Street.  On  June  2,  1875,  a  wire  had  been  put  up  between  two  rooms  on 
the  upper  floor. 


T  h  i  r  t  v  -  s  i  x 


In  the  history  of  civilization — of  the  world's 
progress — of  Boston's  progress,  during  the  last 
fifty  years — the  one  most  important  factor  is, 
undoubtedly,  the  enormous  development  and  ap- 
plication of  the  means  of  production  and  of  com- 
merce. Certainly  it  has  been  the  greatest  factor 
in  the  improvement  of  the  living  conditins  of  man. 
And  it  must  be  recorded  that  the  great  men  of  the 
period  have  been  the  men  of  business. 

As  with  other  industries,  so  it  has  been  with 
the  shoe  industry  during  this  comparatively  brief 
period.  It  has  had  remarkable  development,  and 
reached  a  period  of  splendid  efficiency.  Its  progress 
has  been  due  to  the  clearly  defined  and  sound  ideas 
of  thinking  men  and  the  capacity  of  these  men  to 
plan  well,  build  firmly,  ignore  difficulties,  and  press 
forward  steadily  toward  a  definite  goal. 

And  high  among  these  men  stood  William  Ball 
Rice,  founder  of  the  present  business  of  Rice  & 
Hutchins,  Inc.,  a  pioneer  and  leader  in  the  develop- 
ment of  the  shoe  business  of  the  world. 

William  B.  Rice  and  his  friend,  Horatio  H. 
Hutchins,  entered  into  partnership  and  established 
the  business  of  Rice  &  Hutchins  in  1866.  Their 
first  office  was  at  30  Hanover  Street,  Boston, 
where  they  undertook  the  business  of  selling  shoes 
on  commission,  receiving  their  goods  on  consign- 
ment fron  Felton  &  Chipman,  of  Marlboro,  which 
was  Mr.  Rice's  former  home. 

The  Hanover  and  Pearl  Street  districts  were 
the  wholesale  shoe  centers  of  Boston  in  1866. 
Up  to  that  time,  the  shoe  trade  had  been  located 
largely  where  the  present  market  district  is.  The 
center  of  the  trade  has  moved  steadily  southward. 

Thirty-seven 


Rice  &  Hutchins's  First  Office  at  30  Hanover  Street 

At  the  right  may  be  seen  the  historic  old  American  House,  one  of  Boston's 

famous  hotels. 

Thirty -eight 


First  Factory  of  Rice  &  Hutchins 
Old  Middlesex,  Marlboro,  Mass. 


Rice  &  Hutchins  started  with  a  borrowed  capital 
of  S500.  During  the  first  year  a  business  of  $1 13,000 
was  done.  It  was  about  ten  years  before  the  firm 
purchased  the  factory  of  Felton  &  Chipman,  and  by 
that  time  Mr.  Rice  had  carefully  worked  out  the 
problems  of  wider  distribution  which  arose  with 
this  expansion  of  the  business. 

The  first  factory  of  Rice  &  Hutchins  was  the  old 
Middlesex  in  Marlboro,  Mass.,  built  in  1865  and 
acquired  by  Rice  &  Hutchins  ten  years  later. 
The  main  building  was  sixty  by  forty  feet,  to  which 

Thirty -nine 


.;-.      *r      v\» 

—   2  "o 


Forty 


an  ell  thirty-three  by  twenty-six  feet  was  added  in 
1879.  This  factory  at  first  made  women's  polkas; 
afterwards,  men's  work  shoes.  It  was  destroyed  by 
fire  in  1884. 

At  the  time  of  the  Boston  fire  in  1872,  Rice  & 
Hutchins  occupied  a  building  at  125  Summer  Street; 
and  before  the  fire  had  burned  itself  out,  having 
lost  their  offices  and  a  large  stock  of  shoes,  Rice 
&  Hutchins  were  established  in  temporary  quarters, 
at  Bedford  and  Columbia  Street.  Here  they 
continued  until  their  old  building,  at  125  Summer 
Street,  was  rebuilt. 

In  spite  of  the  fire  and  the  trying  times  of  the 
financial  panic  of  1873,  the  business  has  grown 
steadily.  Factory  after  factory  has  been  acquired, 
until  to-day  the  firm  of  Rice  &  Hutchins  is  supplying 
the  markets  of  the  world  with  shoes  for  the  entire 
family.  Each  factory  specializes  in  its  own  particu- 
lar grade  of  shoe:  the  high-priced,  medium-priced, 
and  low-priced,  men's  women's,  and  children's  all 
having  their  different  place  of  manufacture. 

The  firm's  attitude  toward  its  employees  has 
always  been  one  to  inspire  confidence  and  insure 
co-operation,  and  may  be  summed  up  in  the  fol- 
lowing words  of  Mr.  Rice: 

"We  shall  believe  in  you  and  treat  you  as 
honorable  and  just  men  and  women,  and  pay  you 
fairly  and  promptly  for  work  performed.  And  in 
return  we  shall  expect  your  loyal  and  hearty  good- 
will, to  stand  by  us  in  every  right  effort  to  make 
our  factories  hum  with  life  and  prosperity." 

Neither  of  the  founders  is  alive  to-day,  but  the 
business  which  they  established  stands  as  a  splendid 
memorial  to  their  ability  and  foresight. 

Forty-one 


At  the  gateway  of  the  world's  greatest  shoe  and  leather  market — the 
new  Rice  building,  located  at  No.  10  High  Street,  Boston,  and  com- 
pleted in  1916.  One  of  the  most  modern  and  completely  equipped 
office  buildings  in  Boston,  in  which  are  located  all  of  the  executive 
offices  of  Rice  &  Hutchins,  Inc. 


Forty-two 


RICE  &   HUTCHINS,    INC. 

HARRY  L.  RICE,  President 

FRED  B.  RICE,   Vice-President 

JOSEPH  A.  DASHA,  Sec.  and  Treas. 

Board  of  Directors 

HARRY  L.  RICE  FRED  B.  RICE 

JOSEPH  A.  DASHA  FRANK  D.  ELLISON 

JOHN  M.  CONNELL  CHARLES  W.  CURTIS 

STEPHEN  E.  YOUNG  FRANK  A.  PAGE 

HOWARD  N.  COLE  JOHN  A.  CURTIS 


Factories 
CURTIS  FACTORY,  Marlboro,  Mass. 

C.  W.  Curtis,  Superintendent 

ROCKLAND  FACTORY,  Rockland,  Mass. 

Charles  Hutchins,  Superintendent 

MAIN  ST.  FACTORY,  Marlboro,  Mass. 

D.  B.  Aldoes,  Superintendent 

MIDDLESEX  FACTORY,  Marlboro,  Mass. 

C.  B.  Eager,  Superintendent 

So.  BRAINTREE  FACTORIES,    So.  Braintree,  Mass. 

J.  M.  Connell,  Superintendent 

FACTORY  B.,  Cambridge 

R.  S.  Ayres,  Superintendent 
Forty-three 


Wholesale  Houses 


JOSEPH  I.  MEANY  &  Co.,   INC.,  Philadelphia,  Pa. 


THE  RICE  &  HUTCHINS  NEW  YORK  Co.,  New  York, 

N.  Y. 

T.  M.  Brown,  President  and  Manager 


THE  RICE  &  HUTCHINS  BALTIMORE  Co.,  Baltimore, 

Md. 

F.  J.  La  Motte,  Treasurer  and  Manager 


THE  RICE  &  HUTCHINS  CHICAGO  Co.,  Chicago,  111. 

W.  G.  Colvin,  Treasurer  and  Manager 
J.  L.  Proctor,  Secretary 


THE  RICE  &  HUTCHINS  CINCINNATI  Co.,  Cincinnati, 

Ohio 

M.  E.  Jackson,  Vice-President  and.  Manager 


THE  RICE  &  HUTCHINS  ST.  Louis  SHOE  Co.,  St. 
Louis,  Mo. 

T.  G.  Morfit,  President  and  Manager 


THE  ATLAS  SHOE  Co.,  Boston,  Mass. 

E.  P.  Tuttle,  Vice-President  and  Manager 

Forty -four 


THE  RICE  &  HUTCHINS  CLEVELAND  Co.,  Cleveland, 

Ohio 

W.  T.  Francis,  Treasurer  and  Manager 


THE  RICE  &  HUTCHINS  ATLANTA  Co.,  Atlanta,  Ga. 

E.  G.  Thomas,  President  and  Manager 


A/S  VERA  AMERICAN  SHOE  Co.,  Copenhagen, 
Denmark 

John  George  Simon,  President  and  Manager 


MULLEN  SHOE  Co.,  Pittsburg,  Pa. 

M.  J.  Mullen,  President 


SIGNET  SHOE  Co.,  London,  Eng. 

VV.  VV.  Mason,  Manager 


THE  RICE  &  HUTCHINS  So.  AMERICA  Co. 
Buenos  Aires,  Argentina,  S.  A. 

Martin  Christiansen,  Manager 


WHOLESALE  OFFICE,  Manila,  P.  I. 

Jacob  Rosenthal,  Manager 


Tanneries 
Peabody,  Mass.  Newark,  N.  J. 

Forty-five 


These  illustrations  represent  the  original  Town  House,  referred  to  in 
the  text  on  page  14.  (They  were  made  from  drawings  by  Shepley,  Rutan 
&  Coolidge;  presented  to  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars  by  the  Hon. 
J.  B.  Benton.) 


The  reproductions  used  to  illustrate  the  story  of 
Boston  in  this  booklet  up  to  page  36  were  made 
from  originals  in  the  collection  of  Perry  Walton, 
Esq.,  who  kindly  loaned  them  for  this  purpose. 


Produced  by 
THE  COMMONWEALTH  PRESS 

WORCESTER    AND    BOSTON 


UP  SB.  LIBRA 

( 

Q 


